WGAE NY Meeting

WGA's membership meeting in Gotham is winding down with scribes appearing to be upbeat about the terms of the new contract the guild just clinched with Hollywood's majors.

Except for the clutch of TV crews on the sidewalk, it looked like another touristy Saturday afternoon in the Broadway theater district.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel, where the Writers Guild's East Coast members gathered to vote on the proposed contract, had a few more security people with earpieces patrolling the lobby. But the vibe was quietly businesslike as scribes trickled in. Even Michael Moore didn't pause to sound off on his way in to the meeting.

An opportunistic rep of the World Socialist Web Site handed out fliers by the revolving door. "Reject the contract," he urged, though it's not clear whether any contract would have passed muster for the World Socialists.

As the meeting hit the half-hour mark, traffic streamed by, crowds gathered for the matinee of "Mama Mia" across the street. And journalists could only hurry up and wait for the word.

b!X – exactly so. The meetings today are a straw poll to get an idea of whether the contract would stand up to a ratification vote. If the members give a sense that the contract will be ratified when the actual vote happens, the Board and Council will likely approve the tentative contract, schedule a formal vote of the membership and call everyone back to work. If the members give a distinct sense that the contract will be defeated in a real ratification vote, the WGA leadership will have to decide on a different course.

My understanding is they aren’t gathering to “vote”. They are gathering to examine the deal, and get a sense of whether the membership would be likely to ratify it if in fact put to a vote, which isn’t something that happens at a single meeting such as this.